Field of the Invention
The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to devices pumps, and more specifically relate to high flow fuel pumps.
Description of the Related Art
The performance market has a segment that requires very high flow fuel pumps to supply the demands of large horsepower engines. The pumps are generally limited to these unique race engines. They contain warnings concerning their use for off-track applications due to the high current and flow recirculation requirements.
Generally, electric fuel pump designs match the peak torque of the motor performance curve with the pumping element to achieve the desired flow at a pressure point. As a result, the current suppliers develop multiple pumps to address some of the known requirements in the market by grouping their product into horsepower rating brackets.
This grouping is convenient for the supplier but can complicate the fuel management for the engine builder. If the horsepower is lower than the known bracket, the user would be forced to choose a higher flow pump and try to manage a high return flow. High return flows can result in overheating of the fuel, loss of pressure, and potential damage to the pump, especially in high performance street car applications. If the horsepower were higher than the known brackets, the user would be forced to try to stretch the pump flow by increasing the pump voltage, which then increases the flow. This option is not preferable to the pump supplier because these variables are not recognized in the pump development and pose a risk of inconsistent performance or pump damage.
Currently, this need is met with very large and very expensive self-sealed electric fuel pumps. These pumps require extensive investment dollars and development time to provide a reliable product. Therefore, a need exists to find a faster, less expensive and more reliable approach that offers full-race performance and off-track use.
Additionally, some devices consist of self-sealed pumps. These devices are significantly large and heavier than is desired in all situations. These devices typically require disassembly to attach a wire harness and mount the assembly. Additionally, devices of this nature have a significant number of joints. Joints can potentially leak. Moreover, devices with self-sealed pumps typically are noisier because the pumps are exposed to the environment and are a solid mount to the inlet and outlet housings. There exists a need to provide an assembly that can contain more than one pump in a smaller and lighter configuration. There also exists a need to provide a less expensive and less complex configuration for this purpose. There also exists a need to offer a more convenient wiring solution. There also exists a need to reduce the number of joints to offer less potential leak exposure. Additionally, there exists a need to contain pumps that are not sealed so as to reduce noise. Unsealed pumps are typically used inside of a fuel tank where slight leaking around some crimped or staked assembly features is acceptable. However, they are less acceptable for external, in-line use. Finally, there exists a need to provide pumps that are not sealed that may be suspended inside a sealed housing in a manner that reduces or eliminates metal-to-metal connections.